Boys Basketball Large and Medium-School Power Rankings #1

There have been some good games out of the gate thus far this season and now that the league schedules are in full effect before the holiday break, we can start to look at who some of the early favorites are in each classification. Class C and D will follow tomorrow, weather-permitting!

After looking at fan commentary and having had some telling battles thus far this season, here are the first power rankings of the season:

Class AA

1. CBA – A talented and deep team. Thus far, the Brothers are undefeated and have not been pushed except for a furious Final 10 minutes by Troy.

2. Troy – Although they have the blemish on their record and have been winning some close ball games, their body of work is strong with wins over NDBG and Schenectady.

3. Shen – The Plainsmen are well-coached but will have to find some complimentary scorers to make a deep run in the tournament but they have silenced the critics with some strong early performances led by the talented Jose Reyes.

4. Academy – I am not sure where to put AA but they are solid from the perimeter and with some quality PG play from young Darrien White should be able to make a run this year.

5. Schenectady – The Patriots proved by taking the Troy Horses to the brink on the road that they are much-improved and with their athleticism should be a cut above the rest.

6. Bethlehem – The Eagles had been getting up early and were tested by Colonie the other day but they came back strong against Shaker, winning in convincing fashion. The Suburban South is theirs to lose.

7. Albany – The Falcons are lacking their traditional beef inside but they have some competent wings and shooters and on any given night can knockoff one of the top guns.

8. Shaker – The Bison went down hard to Bethlehem and were nipped by Shen but they won’t play anyone else in the league quite as strong as those two teams and may be able to get Shen at home later on. This team looks to be a sleeper.

9. Bishop Maginn – The Griffs are tough to evaluate because they have been up and down but they pushed Troy around for a small team and are scrappy. Although they don’t have a defining win just yet, they are a dangerous team.

10 TIE Columbia – The Devils have three strong scorers in Point Guard Tyler Hart and athletic wings Corey Gibson and Kelly Davis. If this team had a little more size, they could win the league title but they will definitely compete each and every night.

10.TIE Guilderland – Quietly waiting in the wings for some notice, the Guilderland Dutchmen have had some solid performances led by guard Cameron Dobbs and have emerged as a strong Suburban South contender.

Class A

1. Lansingburgh – The class of the class is the Burgh. They were pushed by Cohoes at home but have rolled off some strong performances and have taken on all challenges thus far and even gave Academy a challenge before falling in the 4th quarter. Right now, they have emerged as the top team in the area.

2. Bishop Gibbons – This team may not walk into the sectionals with the top record or even one of the top 5 records but trust me when I tell you that this team will be battle-worn and ready to rock in the sectionals. There aren’t many teams who can combat their speed and with that kind of electric guardplay every night, they may be able to win without a true center.

3. Scotia – Despite falling to the resurgent BP Patriots in the competitive Foothills, Scotia has Terell Winney and with some solid performances by his supporting cast may be able to reach the Civic Center this year. Coach Jimmer Giammattei is one of the hardest working coaches around and he will have them ready when the time comes.

4. Mohonasen – Like NDBG, Mohon will benefit from the large-school schedule and despite not having one star, this team is blue-collar and just finds a way to get it done. I don’t think they need to be flashy as long as they can play hard defense and knock down shots.

5. Gloversville – The Dragons are quietly making a name for themselves out west with a big man that has improved and some consistent scoring from their backcourt. With strong wins in their pocket over Hudson Falls and Queensbury, this team should have the goods to challenge the leaders for a run at the Civic Center.

6. Glens Falls – The Indians may not be all the way back but they are on their way and with a home game in the Civic Center potentially out there for them if they can survive elimination weekend in the Quarterfinals, I think this team may be the sleeper of the class.

7. Burnt Hills – BHBL always comes out of a spot like this to make serious noise in the tournament, last year even slaying all comers and winning an impressive championship despite having had a losing record. With another Suburban schedule under their belts, can you really fault them if they knockoff another big gun and crash the Civic Center party? It may happen.

8. Ichabod Crane – Despite being swept by Christian and going down to Burgh at home, this team will be better by sectionals and I just wouldn’t count them out.

9. Hudson Falls – Jon Hammond has brought an air of confidence to the team and despite a one-year drop, this team looks to be back in the discussion.

10. Schalmont – AJ Metzold leads this team and they are competing in the Colonial. Come sectional time they may be able to knock off one of the favorites.

Class BB

1. Schenectady Christian – Of course it is always cautious when you put a WAC team that plays no upper classification league games in the top spot, but the Falcons are well-coached, have the top player in the classification in Collin Stewart and have already garnered two Class A wins against Ichabod. In the end, SC will be right in there competing for the BB prize.

2. Schuylerville – If I wasn’t believing before, I am now, the Horses were tripped up by Cohoes early but they missed some shots in that game that look to be falling now and with their length can battle Christian and have found a nasty zone defensive scheme that has teams worried because they 4th tallest starter is 6’3″!

3. Cohoes – The Tigers already defeated Schuylerville and almost beat the Burgh. They may deserve the top spot but since Schuylerville beat the top two Wasaren teams on the court, I will give the slight nod to them right now. With Malcolm Shivers and a host of shooters that can beat you on a given night, this team has the guts and goods to win in this classification.

4. Green Tech – This independent was dropped into the classification and has already secured a strong AA win over Columbia. This team is dangerous and I think they will be in the mix with a chance to reach the Civic Center in their first year of existence in the Section Two tournament.

5. BP – Broadalbin has been giant killers thus far winning over Scotia and South High in Class A. With Tucker Gifford teaching these kids strong and physical defense and with some strong shooting, I would not count them out on any night. I have to get out to see them but so far their body of work has been impressive.

Class B

1. Watervliet – Look out Section Two, the Cannoneers are all back healthy and when they are firing on all cylinders like they did against Fonda, look out. Holding the undefeated Braves to 19 points and securing a 30+ point win was enough for me. This team is for real in Class B with the Gleason brothers, Griffin Kelly and Dan Nittinger all stepping up thus far!

2. Hoosick Falls – Despite losing by 1 point to Schuylerville, Falls is still on my radar and if they can solve the dilemma of not having a true post presence, can really make some noise in Class B. Hayden, Lilac, Williams and Rasmus form the core of a contender but they are going to need to show they can keep the Cannoneers at bay and right now, I think it is Vliet at the top. Over Xmas break, Vliet plays at Falls in the Holiday tournament and this matchup if both teams can win in the opening round, may be a preview of things to come.

3. Chatham – The Panthers are very good and should have a patroon title to show for themselves at the end of the year if they keep working hard. Will Gauthier is the leader of the team and he has some strong supporting cast. Look for them to make a run at the B’s!

4. Fonda – The loss of a slew of strong players from their sectional title team has me thinking they will have work to do to repeat but Coach Eric Wilson is excellent and they should battle.

5. TIE Stillwater – The Warriors may not have the best record but they have competed against some strong teams. In the tournament, they will be a tough team that will have gelled together at the right time.

5. TIE Cairo-Durham – Bob Piano has the kids playing great defense. Look for this team to make some noise in the tournament despite a defined scorer. I am hesitant to give this spot to them over Taconic Hills because they look improved but for now, I am going to give it to them pending further evaluation.

Eric Medved

37 Responses

How good is Bethlehem ? Only time will tell. They suit up 15 and play deep into the bench. They are very big…and that also means slow…they have trouble with a PRESS [which is why the Colonie game was close]. Probably the best foul-shooting team in the League.

Yeah I’ve seen them a couple of times. I think McElroy is excellent. Better off the dribble but seems to be settling for jumpers lately. Tallman and Keehn are also solid. Don’t get me wrong, I would expect them to finish 4th in the North, but that’s not a bad 4th team. They do have weapons and own a win over Glens Falls and close losses to Nisky, Guilderland, and Vestal. They’re not a guaranteed “W” and was just impressed with the margin BHS layed on them last night.

I’m impressed with Beth. and I haven’t seen them yet. One of my contacts told me they would be vastly improved this year as I mentioned weeks ago, but what impressed me about them, is I like Shaker and to see what Beth. did to them surprised me very much….

Bethlehem is the real deal. They are very balanced and deep. Their 3 bigs(Clas,Stempsey and Dolan) are all capable of dropping 15 or more on you on any given night. Their perimeter players(Sperber,Mcleer,Kane,Generali and Natale) are all very capable as well and If you try to 2-3(zone)the bigs they will light you up. I know they really have not been tested yet with the CBA’s,Troy’s and Shens of the area, but stay tuned, They play in the CBA Holiday tourney and will meet Shen next month.

The CBA Holiday Fest sounds like real fun…..Wednesday at 5:30 BCHS faces St. Peter’s from Staten Island……then CBA hosts Middletown…I see this as a set up so CBA faces St. Peter’s the next night….You pays you money and let the chips fall where they may….

Albany did get rolled.. I was at the game. I think the foul shots attempted were like 35 to 6 ( troy being 35 and albany being 6 ) I really thought the game was poorly refed. Troy shot the ball very well but e albany coach took out his studs towards the end which is why the score was not respectable. Albany played tough the whole game but the refs really took the game out of their reach as the calls were not going both ways. Would have really been a good game to the end of the wire. But what can you say, games like this happen. Come sectional time, albany will be back